Local residents welcomed into WVU School of Pharmacy

Dr. Yon Rojanasakul and Annie Lorensen

The West Virginia University School of Pharmacy’s White Coat Ceremony marked the entrance into the study of the profession of pharmacy for two local residents.
Theresa Halki of Renick is the daughter of Rosanne Zeni and Thomas Halki. She is a graduate of Greenbrier East High School. Halki received her Bachelor of Science in Biology and her Master ofArt in Secondary Education from West Virginia University.
Annie Ashby Lorensen of Lewisburg is the daughter of Jane A. Johnson and Richard H. Lorensen. She is a graduate Greenbrier East High School and completed her pre-pharmacy coursework at West Virginia University.
The White Coat Ceremony represents compassion and dedication to the profession of pharmacy. The presentation of white coats is symbolic as it signifies to the students that they are entering a commitment to be future healthcare professionals and will develop, deliver and monitor medications in an effort to improve the health and well-being of their patients.
“During the course of their studies, our Class of 2017 will learn how to improve the health of the patients they will serve,” Patricia Chase, Ph.D., Gates Wigner Dean for the WVU School of Pharmacy, said. “The White Coat Ceremony is a milestone in the lives of our student pharmacists as it stresses to our new students that they will not only gain pharmaceutical knowledge from the classroom to treat their patients, but they must also be compassionate and earn the trust of their patients in order to deliver care.”